On April 13, as many citizens were gathering for worship on Palm Sunday, Russia launched a missile strike at the northeastern city of Sumy, Ukraine, killing at least 34 people, including many on their way to church. At least one Baptist church experienced significant damage. A video of the disruption of morning services went viral across social media platforms.
The attack was condemned by leaders across the world, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who labeled the action by Russia “horrifying.” U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said the brutal war crime “is a reminder of Putin’s depravity.” Gen. Keith Kellogg, appointed by President Trump as a special envoy for Ukraine, said the action “crosses any line of decency.” Prime ministers from England, France, and Canada also condemned the attack.
Russia’s Eastertide assault is tragically one more way in which the invading army has attacked Ukraine’s Christian population. In occupied territories, Russia often arrests evangelical pastors and allows only Russian Orthodox worship. Pastors are tortured, jailed, and often murdered. According to Defenders of Faith in Ukraine, 640 religious sites have been damaged and one-third of the damaged facilities have been evangelical churches.
Russian forces have worked to erase evangelical witness whenever they overtake towns and communities. According to Baptist pastor Yarislav Pyzh, 400 of Ukraine’s 2,300 Baptist churches have been destroyed by the Russians. Pyzh, a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, is the president of Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary in Lviv. Though the war has decimated his country, churches in Ukraine are actually seeing many turn to faith in Christ.
A new documentary, Faith Under Seige, recently released, highlights the ongoing struggles of the church in this war zone.
For many pastors and church leaders in Ukraine, the war between Russia and Ukraine, which began in 2022, is a war on Christian witness. Ukraine is often called “The Bible belt” of Eastern Europe, with hundreds of thousands of evangelicals, and it’s a hub for missionary activity and church planting around Europe.
The attacks on Christians in Ukraine should invite mourning and outrage by American Christians. While we enjoy religious liberty, our brothers and sisters are facing significant opposition to gospel ministry. We should speak up for their welfare even as the war continues to grind on.
Click Here To Read More (Originally Published at World Magazine)
Daniel is director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His forthcoming book is Agents of Grace. He is also a bestselling author of several other books, including The Original Jesus, The Dignity Revolution, The Characters of Christmas, The Characters of Easter, and A Way With Words, and the host of a popular weekly podcast, The Way Home. Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministry from Dayspring Bible College, has studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and is a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Angela, have four children.
